Druimfearn Forest – Leanachan – Lochaber – Forest Map around 1986
The map was recovered from shed at Newton Nursery which acted as a storage area for Forest Research who used the maps to locate forest and tree experiments in the field.
This area (Druimfearna) may have been purchased around 1962 by the Forestry Commission along with other areas along the south side of Loch Eil from Conaglen Estate.
The major part of the eastern section of the forest area lies in the low lying valley that runs between the head of Loch Eil (salt water) through to Loch Shiel (fresh water). There are some deep peat areas and lochans in parts, particularly east of in the forest road to Polloch. The forest road alongside Loch Shiel into Polloch leaves the main public road (Fort William to Mallaig) at Callop. The writer does recall the deep peat ploughing and Track Marshall 55s draining the area with a Humpy plough circa 1968 and getting bogged. One of the drivers was Donnie Junor but the name of the other driver is not recalled – Images shown in Picture No 117 and 125. Not actually seen by the writer but reported at that time a special light weight ploughing tractor, the International T500 with wooden track plates, ploughed part of the wet peat area in 1966/67.
The area was planted between 1965 and 1969 largely with Sitka spruce, some larch firebelts and Lodgepole pine on the peat area. There are significant pockets of Retained Scrub that could refer to birch and willow remnants with perhaps some Scots pine.
The western section of this forest begins at the forest road to Polloch and then south of and alongside the Callop River to Loch Shiel where it follows south westwards down the loch side. The western half of this area is very rocky and steep and did have remnants of Scots pine and birch. Most of the forest planting was on the more moderately sloped eastern half which may have been partially ploughed and filled in with hand turfing. The western section was left unplanted.
The long 12 mile road to Polloch along the loch side was a major engineering challenge due to limited access for heavy machinery. Access via Polloch from Strontian up the very steep 1:4 single track road was restricted to modest sized vehicles. In the event the army engineers were called in to raft heavy diggers part way down the loch side to Scammadale. Meantime the road teams were drilling and blasting their way very slowly above the Callop River and around the bend at Lochan Port Na Creige onto the side of Loch Shiel. There were no drilling rigs – all hand held drills cutting through up to 30 feet high rock faces. On one occasion following weeks of drilling and dozens of deep holes a whole section was stemmed with dynamite and blasted. Rocks flew everywhere and some many hundreds of yards onto then single track Fort William to Mallaig road. Very fortunately no vehicles were damaged. The senior engineer for the work around that time was Dan Murray from Aberlour and the foreman, John Gillie, who did not drive. Geoff Newsome, Head Forester, based at Torlundy, supervised much of the planting assisted by foreman Jock Elder.
Angie Grant, the left handed fiddler from Caol, who worked on the Polloch Road for many years, recalls an incident with Dan Murray – the gentleman styled supervisor. For a time the road squads used a boat to access the Scammadale area before they had broken through from Callop. Dan arrived on the boat one morning dressed in his shoes but as there was no pier the boat grounded some way out from the shore. Dan, a well build gentleman, shouted on one of the workers nearby to come and carry him to dry land. Reluctantly the chap came over and Dan climbed onto his back and they proceeded unsteadily to move to the shore. Conditions underfoot were slippery and with a yell suddenly both landed flat into the water. That incident was told many times in the work shelter that day and for years afterwards!
Please see the large image link below for closer map detail.